To put a website online, you need three things: the site’s files, a host that sends those files to visitors, and a domain name that tells browsers where to find them. A simple site can be hosted for free. A .com costs roughly $10 to $20 a year, and HTTPS, the padlock, is free and usually switched on for you.
That is the whole map. This guide explains each piece in plain words, what it really costs, and how to launch your first site in an afternoon.
- A website is a folder of files. Hosting is a computer that serves them. A domain is the name that points to it.
- A site made of files can live on a free static host such as Cloudflare Pages, Netlify or GitHub Pages.
- A .com costs about $10 to $20 a year. Check the renewal price, not just the first year.
- HTTPS certificates are free, and good hosts issue and renew them automatically.
- Before you share the link, check it on a phone, add analytics and turn on domain auto-renew.
The three pieces, in plain words
Think of a website as a shop. The files are what is on the shelves, the host is the building, and the domain is the address on the sign.
| Piece | What it is | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Files | The pages, styles and images that make up your site. The home page is usually a file called index.html | Free if you make them yourself or with AI |
| Hosting | A computer that stays online and sends your files to anyone who asks | Free for simple sites, more for apps with a database |
| Domain | The name people type, such as example.com, rented by the year | About $10 to $20 a year for a .com |
The domain and the hosting do not need to come from the same company. Many people register the domain in one place and host somewhere else. Linking the two takes a couple of DNS records, which our guide to connecting a custom domain explains step by step.
Which kind of hosting do you need?
The right host depends on what your site is made of. Most portfolios, landing pages and sites built with AI tools are static: a folder of files that looks the same for every visitor. Those are the cheapest and easiest to host. For a fuller comparison of nine hosts, including free-tier limits and first paid steps, see where to deploy your app.
| Static host | Website builder | App platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it serves | A folder of files | Sites made in its own editor | Apps with logins, a database and server code |
| Good for | Portfolios, landing pages, docs, most AI-built sites | People who never want to see a file | Web apps and MVPs |
| Examples | Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, GitHub Pages | Wix, Squarespace, Framer | Vercel, Netlify |
| Cost to start | Free tiers | Monthly plan | Free tiers, then pay for usage |
| Moving away later | Easy: take your files with you | Hard: sites rarely export cleanly | Medium: code moves, data needs care |
Two more options exist. WordPress hosting runs sites built on WordPress, the widely used publishing software. Renting your own server gives full control, in exchange for doing your own updates and security.
If you are building an app with accounts and data rather than a site, our weekend MVP plan covers what that needs. For a plain site, free tiers are generous, but read the fine print before you launch anything commercial. As of September 2026:
| Host | Free tier includes | Fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Pages | 500 builds a month, up to 20,000 files per site | Each file can be at most 25 MiB |
| Netlify | A usage allowance of 300 credits, custom domains with HTTPS | Paid plans start at $9 a month |
| GitHub Pages | Sites up to 1 GB, with a soft limit of 100 GB of traffic a month | Not allowed for online shops or commercial software |
| Vercel Hobby | Hosting for personal projects, with monthly usage limits | Personal, non-commercial use only |
What does a domain really cost?
A .com costs about $10 to $20 a year. The catch is the renewal price, because some companies advertise a cheap first year and charge more from year two.
As of September 2026, Porkbun listed a .com at $11.08 for the first year and the same to renew. Hostinger advertised $0.01 for the first year, renewing at $19.99. Cloudflare Registrar sells at cost, with no markup on the registry’s price, which makes it a useful floor.
That floor is about to move. On November 1, 2026, Verisign, the company that runs .com, raises its wholesale price 7 percent, from $10.26 to $10.97 a year, and its contract allows more rises in later years. Registrars that sell at cost pass the increase straight through.
Other endings vary widely. At Porkbun, a .org renews at $11.84 a year, a .io at $51.80 and a .ai at $82.70. A few habits save money and trouble:
Compare renewal prices, since you pay them every year after the first.
Turn on auto-renew. An expired domain can eventually be registered by someone else.
Check that privacy is included. Cloudflare and Squarespace, for example, include free WHOIS privacy, which keeps your contact details out of public domain records.
Is HTTPS free?
Yes. HTTPS encrypts the connection between your visitor and your site, and it shows as a padlock. The certificate behind it is free from Let’s Encrypt, a certificate authority run for the public’s benefit. Most modern hosts request and renew one for you as soon as your domain points at them.
It is also no longer optional. Google has announced that Chrome 154, due in October 2026, will turn on a setting called “Always Use Secure Connections” for everyone. Chrome will then warn visitors and ask before it opens a public site without HTTPS.
So do not pay for a certificate for an ordinary site, and do not launch without one.
Put your first site online in six steps
No files yet? Start with how to build a website with AI in an afternoon, then come back here.
Get your files ready
You need a folder with an
index.htmlfile at the top level, because that is the home page. If an AI tool built your site, ask it to “build for production” and use the folder it creates, often calleddistorbuild.Choose a host
For a folder of files, a free static host from the table above is enough. If your site has logins or a database, choose an app platform instead.
Upload the folder
The quickest route is Netlify Drop: drag your folder onto the page and you get a live link. Without an account, that link stays password-protected until you sign up and claim it. Other hosts offer an upload button or a command-line tool.
Check the temporary address
Your host gives you a free address, such as
yoursite.netlify.app. Open it on your phone and your laptop, and click every link before anyone else sees it.Buy a domain and connect it
Add the domain in your host’s settings. The host shows the exact DNS records to create at your registrar. Copy them exactly, then wait: most changes show up within minutes to a few hours.
Wait for the padlock, then pick one address
Once the domain points at your host, the certificate arrives automatically. Choose
www.example.comorexample.comas the main address, and redirect the other to it.
To update the site later, drop the new folder in again. Or connect a Git repository, a project folder that records every version of your files, and the host republishes each time you save a new version. That setup also doubles as a backup.
Before you share the link: a launch checklist
FAQ
Can I put a website online for free?
Yes. Free static hosts give you a live address, such as yoursite.pages.dev, at no cost. The only part you usually pay for is a custom domain, at about $10 to $20 a year for a .com.
Do I need to buy my domain and hosting from the same company?
No. You can register the domain anywhere and point it at any host with a few DNS records. Keeping them separate also makes it easier to switch hosts later.
How long does it take for a website to go live?
Uploading takes seconds to minutes. A newly connected domain usually works within minutes to a few hours, while the DNS change spreads.
Do I still need a web developer?
Not for a simple site. For anything with logins, payments or stored customer data, have an experienced person review it before launch, because mistakes there affect other people.
What happens if my domain expires?
Your site and any email on that domain stop working. After a grace period, the name can be released for anyone to register. Auto-renew prevents this.
Next, build the site itself with AI, or compare AI website builders that host it for you.
- Domain name pricing, Porkbun, September 2026
- Domain name search, Hostinger, September 2026
- Cloudflare Registrar FAQ, Cloudflare Docs
- Cloudflare Registrar, Cloudflare
- Squarespace Domains, Squarespace
- Breaking: VeriSign raising wholesale .com prices, Domain Name Wire, April 2026
- Pages limits, Cloudflare Docs
- Netlify pricing, Netlify, September 2026
- Netlify Drop quickstart, Netlify Docs
- GitHub Pages limits, GitHub Docs
- Vercel Hobby plan, Vercel Docs, September 2026
- About Let’s Encrypt, Let’s Encrypt
- HTTPS by default, Google, October 2025
